The Athlete's Lawyer

As Triathlon Trial Lawyer Doug Landau makes preparations to return to Colonial Williamsburg for the Annual VTLA Convention March 12-15th, 2009, he checks the Colonial Road Runners schedule to see what training runs and racing events may be available.

Shown here with Club President and frequent racer Rick Platt, Herndon Reston area sports injury and disability lawyer Doug Landau congratulates the Tidewater area runner on his team’s excellent performance. Rick is holding medals he and his teammates won at the National Cross Country Championships.  If they gave out medals for excellence in race management, calendaring and organization, he would win for those categories as well !  Landau and his wife have participated in other Williamsburg area road running events, as evidenced by some of the wonderful items decorating the Landau Law Shop.

Doug Landau welcomes drug testing at major sports competitions.  The upcoming National Championships that are coming to the D.C. Metropolitan area will be subject to the anti-doping rules.  Athletes who participate in this competition are subject to drug testing performed by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) in accordance with the USADA Protocol for Olympic Movement Testing.  The motto of the USAT&F in the area of drug testing is: “BE AWARE. BE INFORMED. BE ALERT. BE CLEAN. USADA is here to help you PASS WITH FLYING COLORS.”

Interestingly, the “BE CLEAN” section states, “Checking to see if the medication you take is allowed could be the difference between passing your test and serving a doping ban. A search on USADA’s easy-to-use Drug Reference Online™ ( or a quick call to USADA’s Drug Reference Line™ (1-800-233-0393) and following-up with any necessary forms is all it takes to pass with flying colors.”

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To triathletes, “Athena” and “Clydesdale” have one meaning, but to those in the Masters Track circuit, the name “Athena Track Club” connotes running excellence, comraderie and wisdom.

The Athena Track Club is a nationwide masters women’s track team with several members living in the D.C. metropolitan area.  Shown here with Triathlon Trial Lawyer Doug Landau is accomplished Masters champion runner Julie Hayden  of the Athena Track Club.  Athena Track Club was established in 2006 to provide opportunities for like-minded elite female runners to compete as a team in Masters track, road racing and cross-country events. The club draws members from across the USA and is registered as a club with USATF Mid-Atlantic Region.

Triathletes may ask, why the name Athena, and what does the owl mean? The owl is a symbol of wisdom which is associated with the Goddess Athena, who was also known for her beauty. For a group of Masters-Age female athletes, wisdom, beauty and goddess-like powers is an obvious association we think !  For more about the Club’s success at last year’s nationals, go to the Athena web site.

Showing support for USA Triathlon (USAT) and USA Track & Field (USAT&F), Triathlon Trial Lawyer Doug Landau has committed funds for Gold Sponsorships.  The Herndon Reston area trial lawyer thought it was a “natural” to go from “Team Gold USA” to Gold medal winner for the United States Triathlon team at the Maccabiah Games  to Gold level USAT sponsorship.  As for USA Track and Field, sports injury and disability advocate Doug Landau not only entered the Masters Cross Country and Indoor Track National Championships, but also made extra contribution for March meet at the Prince Georges Sports and Learning Complex in Landover, Maryland.  The Herndon Reston area injury and disability lawyer is shown here with top local masters runner Loretta Malander at the National Championships.

Date:Sunday, November 09, 2008 at 8:00 AM
Venue:Rock Creek Park
Address:Race begins between the FitzGerald Tennis Center and Carter Barron Amphitheatre, Washington, DC 20008
Brief Description:
The 5K Race for Justice begins promptly at 8 am. Food and water will be available to participants before and after the race. Prizes will be awarded for: first overall (male & female), GW student (male & female), GW alum (male & female), 19U (male & female), 20-29 (male & female), 30-39 (male & female), 40-49 (male & female), 50-59 (male & female), 60+ (male and female).
Additional Information
Ever on the lookout for events that raise money for noteworthy causes and non-profit law groups, and as a law school race director himself, TriathlonTrialLawyer Doug Landau posts this race.  The Race for Justice promotes the provision of public interest legal services in two ways. First, proceeds from the race fund stipends for current law students who pursue unpaid public interest work over the summer. Second, the race benefits the G.W. Loan Reimbursement Assistance Program (LRAP) which helps recent graduates pursue public interest employment by providing forgivable loans to those who pursue low paying public interest careers.

If you have been in a bike crash or struck by a car while walking in a crosswalk or by a truck while running along the road, be sensible about your situation. Short term “heroics” or machismo can lead to long-term suffering. If you’re down, lie still until you or a qualified person can make sure that you are not seriously hurt. Beyond what movement you may need to make certain that you are not bleeding seriously, or that your bones or joints are not broken or dislocated, try not to move for a few minutes. Don’t panic, and if you are lying in a place where you are not in danger if you stay there, take a few minutes to relax, think and collect yourself. Read the rest of this entry »

When invited to be a guest speaker on a weekly talk radio show, Triathlon Trial Lawyer Doug Landau was wondered who might call and what they might say. He need not have worried. One caller from Spotsylvania, Virginia told the listening audience that TheAthletesLawyer, “was the best lawyer” for winning her husband’s second, complicated back and spine injury and surgery case !

Fredericksburg Virginia Radio station WFVA (1230 AM) featured Herndon Injury Lawyer Doug Landau of ABRAMS LANDAU, Ltd. on its morning “Peoples Law School” program today at 9:00 AM. The affable Triathlon Trial Lawyer answered questions from callers as well as from the host, fellow Virginia Trial Lawyer John Harris. John “Jack” Harris of the Fredericksburg law firm of HARRIS & HARRIS is an outstanding lawyer who started this program in order to educate people as to various aspects of Virginia law. Herndon Reston area injury lawyer Doug Landau fielded questions about: workplace catastrophes, brain injury, paralysis, bike crashes, race wrecks, workers compensation, dog attacks, training mishaps, occupational diseases, defective products, sports accidents, children’s cases, paraplegia, Social Security Disability and other topics, including insurance company practices, working with the Virginia Workers Compensation Commission and tragic cases resulting in suicide.

The VASA ride, sponsored by the Swedish Embassy was well attended by athletes young and old, new and experienced.  Several neighbors of the Landau Law Shop complete the rides of varying distances, and some triathletes did over 50 miles !  TheAthletesLawyer Doug Landau had visions of frostbite near the end of the journey as he rode his bike through Georgetown.  However, there was a hot, sweet treat waiting for all participants at the House of Sweden.
All rides finished with the Vasa Race’s famed blueberry soup  courtesy of Ekströms, part of Procordia Food AB and the Swedish Embassy.  Here is Doug Landau sampling some of this rare treat.  It definitely helped The Athletes Lawyer “thaw out” after pedalling for close to 4 hours !  The House of Sweden is located at 2900 K Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20007,  along the Georgetown waterfront at the  terminus of the Rock Creek Trail.  It is also accessible from the Mt. Vernon Trail, Martha Custis Trail and Capital Crescent Trail.

Shown here getting ready to depart for the full distance “VASA” ride sponsored by the Washington Area Bicyclist Association (“WABA”) is Dr. Allen Delaney, M.D. of Commonwealth Orthopedics and, and with his wife (and Physical Therapist) Mary Delaney, “Rehab to Racing” multi-sport coaching services.  This veteran triathlete has bicycled throughout the world, and is shown in his cold weather gear with the Potomac River in the background. TheAthletesLawyer Doug Landau wore not only his booties, mittens over his gloves and many layers of shirts, but also a balclava under his helmut and an emergency “hot pack” in his hip bag. TriathlonTrialLawyer Doug Landau was pleased to see that at the Vasa Ride helmets were mandatory.  If it snowed, you were advised to bring your skis!

Doug Landau and several other hardy cyclists braved the cold and wind to join WABA and the Embassy of Sweden in celebrating Sweden’s famed ski race and festival “Vasaloppet” by biking up into Maryland after following some of the C&O Canal West out of the Nation’s Capitol.
This fun, free ride had options for riders of all abilities.  Shown here before the bicycle tour began, are the Virginia bike riders who TheAthletesLawyer bamboozled into carpooling and joining him on this frigid two-wheeled adventure !   Other fun, free (or not) events will be posted.  Stay tuned !